Mattel, brimming with hubris, has the stones to try and make a View-Master movie

Give ‘em points for trying: Mattel, consumed by power and flopsweat, is determined to turn every goddamned toy it’s ever made into a movie. It began with Barbie and Masters Of The Universe, then moved to Hot Wheels and American Girl dolls, and now the toy company’s new partnership with MGM is giving birth to a live-action “family adventure” based on the your grandma’s favorite toy, the View-Master. You know, that clunky, stereoscopic thing filled with blurry pictures of Donald Duck.

So, no, the View-Master name doesn’t have the same kind of juice that, say, Barbie does, but the toy’s enough of a blank slate that they could conceivably use it to tell any story they want. Also, the product’s attempts to pivot into virtual reality have resulted in a product that looks a helluva lot like the goggles Tye Sheridan wore in Ready Player One, so don’t be surprised if the final product veers in a similar direction. Virtual reality is, after all, finally getting good.